Love is like War
by justagirlfromcali
Summary: Following the days after her brother's unfortunate passing, Kelly Peterson fights to keep her head held high and continue life for her family's sake. An unexpected visitor shows up, and Kelly is highly suspicious. {david/oc}
1. Chapter 1

The moment Kelly Peterson heard the devastating news of her brother's passing in Afghanistan, she went straight to her room and locked the door. For an eternity it seemed, she sobbed uncontrollably. The unexpected death of a loved one was equal to someone ripping your heart from your chest and crushing it till there was nothing left. Caleb promised he would return home, Kelly thought distraught. He was supposed to come home and beat her in Mario Kart, their favorite game. He was supposed to come home and help her play pranks on Anna. He was supposed to come home and teach her how to drive stick shift. He was supposed to come home and teach Luke some self defense moves. He was just... supposed to come home.

The burning pain in her chest was slowly becoming numb and her tears were beginning to lessen. All was left was her dry throat swelling up and her eyes feeling sore and puffy. She nuzzled her face against her pillow, like a cat brushing up against its owner for comfort. She needed comfort, but not the kind her family could give her. Her mom would fold her up in her arms and hush in her ear like a baby. Her dad would awkwardly pat her back, grab a beer, and grieve in his room, intoxicating his system with alcohol before passing out. Her older sister wouldn't be much help and neither would her younger brother. Caleb would know what to do; the only problem was he wasn't here to make things right. He was... well, dead.

Funeral arrangements marked her calendar painfully soon. Her parents spent an entire pocket full of savings for proper burial in their hometown. It was only a week following Caleb's sudden passing and her parents wanted to plant a tombstone already. Kelly couldn't fathom the option. It was just way too soon, she was barely past the early stages of grieving.

What a great way to start senior year. Not only was she about to go through her last year of high school but in a few days, her birthday was coming up, just a few weeks before Halloween. Her first birthday without her big bro to smother frosting on her face and laugh at her. This was seriously going to be the shittiest of years, and she knew it. How could she survive her eighteenth birthday without Caleb? She'd rather scrape a cheese grater against her forehead then spend a birthday without her brother. Might as well not have one at all this year.

Typical Monday rolled quickly after the funeral on the weekend, and Kelly wasn't thrilled to be back. Who wouldn't after a death in the family. As she suspected, everyone was cringingly nice and sweet to her, offering their condolences and what not. Since she lived in a small town, word spread around fast like wildfire. Her closest friends, of course, tried to cheer her up. She became friends with her forced smile throughout the agonizing day of school. Cheer practice after school was worse. No matter how much effort she tried to focus, she couldn't get her moves down correctly. When she realized she didn't have the motivation to practice the routine, she decided to excuse herself from practice and go home instead. Kelly's mom picked her up quickly.

"Hon, you okay? How was, uh, practice? I thought it didn't end till six?" Laura asked hesitantly, glancing worriedly at her daughter as she peeled out of the lot and back onto the main road.

"You thought correctly," Kelly buckled her seat belt, avoiding her mom's occasional troubled gazes. "I just, um... I wasn't feeling good, so my coach excused me," she explained quietly, staring out the window. Her chocolate eyes caught nothing but dry desert land.

"Oh, hon. I'm sorry," Laura cooed to her gently, making Kelly cringe from the overly concerned tone. "Well, what can I do to make you feel better? Anything? Bowl of soup, perhaps?"

"No, mom. I'm... fine... I'm fine. I think I, um, ate something bad at lunch today," Kelly said unconvincingly. Laura paused for a moment, a silent turmoil reeling in her head.

"Y'know, hon... if you ever need to, um... talk, you know I'm here for you, right? You're not alone..."

"Mom, can we please... not talk about this."

"I'm sorry, hon. You're right. Too soon."

The conversation dropped and was met with long tense silence. The gentle humming of the car was the only source of noise. A few short minutes passed and Laura pulled up in the driveway. Kelly unfastened her seatbelt and was ready to jump out the passenger when her mom placed a firm hand on her knee, making her halt. She looked at her mom questionably.

"Before you go inside, I should warn you that we have have a, uh, surprise visitor here for us," Laura whispered.

"Surprise visitor," Kelly repeated flatly, her brown eyes locked on her mom's blue ones. "And you failed to tell me this earlier because?"

"Hon, I'm sorry, it slipped my mind," Laura sighed, her voice laced with fatigue. "He's a close friend of Caleb's... They served on the same unit..."

A flicker of pain flashed across Kelly's face. "Mom..."

"Hon, I know..." Laura gripped her hand and massaged it gently in a comforting motion. "I know you hate talking about... Your brother... But we need to move on, we can't be grieving our entire lives... Caleb, he would want us, everyone, to move on... ya know?"

Kelly stared at her mom's face, inner conflict displayed in her mind. She wanted to make her mom happy and put on a smile to fool everyone. She couldn't be sad forever. Caleb wouldn't want that for her.

"Besides... David's really sweet. You'll like him. I think having him around will... Lighten things up a bit. We're in need of a change here, and David is perfect for that solution."

"Don't you think inviting a stranger into the house is a bad idea, mom? Like, a very bad idea? How the hell do you even know if he's telling the truth or not?" Kelly questioned suspiciously. Laura waved a hand, brushing off the question as she exited the car. Kelly followed in pursuit.

"There's pictures of him and Caleb together," Laura responded indifferently.

"And you thought it would be a great idea to invite him in the house and then leave him alone to steal anything he could possibly get his hands on?"

"Kelly, keep your voice down," Laura warned. "The poor man fell asleep on the couch shortly. He said he ran all the way from the bus stop. I didn't want to disturb him."

"And you left Luke home alone with him?" Kelly asked angrily.

"You're being ridiculous, Kelly. Johnny's mom picked up Luke today from school, so he's there studying."

"Mom, why would you leave a fucking stranger in the house by himself," Kelly whispered furiously as they approached the front door.

"Language, please. I already told you, he's been through a lot, so let's not give him a hard time."

"He's been through a lot? Yeah, I'm sure he has. He's probably already stolen half our shit and is probably on his way the next bus ride to Arizona for all we know," Kelly fumed as she stormed in through the front door and halted to a complete stop when she smelled something delicious wafting through the air. Kelly furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and dropped her cheer duffel bag as she made her way to the source of the heavenly aroma. Her eyes kept track of anything that could've been missing and she was heavily relieved to find that everything seemed to be in place. As Kelly approached the kitchen, she was surprised to see no one. The smell was definitely coming from inside the oven. She checked inside and was stunned to find a crisp and golden apple pie baking to perfection.

"I hope you don't mind," a voice said from behind her.

Kelly gasped in shock, accidentally slamming the oven door shut and spinning around in one fluid motion. Standing on the other side of the kitchen was a surprisingly good-looking young man with sun kissed skin, a shock of dark blonde hair, and ice eyes that held her own in a confident gaze. Her cheeks burned in realization that she was wearing short shorts and a tank top. She hoped this guy wasn't a perv. Much to her surprise though, he never raked his eyes down to look at her in an appreciative gaze. Instead he kept his eyes on hers.

"Shit, you scared me," she breathed out, placing a hand on her chest to emphasize her point.

"Sorry, I have that effect on most people," he said, the corners of his mouth curling into a subtle smirk. Kelly couldn't decide if that was creepy or attractive.

"Yeah, well... It certainly did on me..." Kelly said unsure of what to make of the obviously older man.

"Oh, I was wondering what that wonderful smell was," Laura said as she entered the kitchen, unknowingly interrupting the intense stares between her daughter and the stranger. "David, I'm sorry I didn't get to properly introduce you. David, this is my younger daughter, Kelly."

Slipping an easily charming smile on his seemingly perfect face, David held out his hand. "Pleasure to meet you," he greeted politely, grasping her hand in a firm yet gentle manner.

"Yeah, likewise," Kelly responded stiffly, noticing how rough and calloused his hand felt compared to her soft and unblemished one.

"So, uh, David," Laura brought up conversation with a smile as she peeked inside the oven. "I didn't know you baked, that's so sweet of you. It looks delicious."

David shrugged. "Well, it's the least I can do in return for your warmth and kindness, ma'am. I can see why Caleb talked so fondly of his folks," he said with a sad smile.

Kelly grimaced at the mention of her deceased brother and without a word, walked out of the kitchen to head straight for her room. David kept his piercing eyes trained on her the entire time until she disappeared in the hallway.

"Kelly," Laura called out, but was ignored and met with the sound of Kelly's door being slammed shut. An exhausted sigh escaped from Laura as she pushed her dark hair back. "I'm sorry about that, David," Laura apologized softly. "Kelly's still upset over her brother."

"That's completely understandable, Mrs. Peterson," David assured. "I don't blame her. She's going through a lot at such a young age." Laura nodded in agreement, her concerned eyes lingering on the hallway while David pulled the finished pie out of the oven.

"Mmm, how about a slice of pie, Mrs. Peterson?"

—

Hopefully this fantastic movie will get more recognition from Netflix :) Also too, please check out Z0mbiKitty's fanfic called "Monster with a Halo: The Guest" and give it some love! If there's anyone out there reading this, let me know and leave a review :)


	2. Chapter 2

Kelly couldn't tolerate some stranger talking about her brother in such a personal way as if he knew him better than she. She didn't give a single flying fuck if she upset her mom in front of their uninvited guest. As far as she was concerned, having David as a friendly reminder there that her brother was killed in war wasn't something she would like to be around. Sure, David might be a swell typical American guy with probably a girlfriend back at home and and military benefits for the rest of his life. Kelly didn't care, all she wanted was him gone.

Deciding best to distract herself from inner depression, she pulled out a flimsy paperback book that displayed a couple passionately embracing on the cover. It wasn't a bestseller like New York Times but it was entertaining and steamy enough for her taste. As embarrassing as it was, she admitted to being a sucker for adult romance fiction, particularly ones that had good written sexual scenes. What was it that drew her into the seduction world of erotic romance? She didn't have a clue. Maybe perhaps it spiced things up in her imagination. Maybe perhaps all her previous boyfriends in the past weren't her cup of tea. Maybe perhaps her reality was lacking in color, tedious, boring, unimaginative. Her life consisted of the same routine everyday. School, cheer practice, homework, dinner, bed. Weekends were no better, she mainly hung out with her friends, either at the local diner or the aging theater. Kelly admitted, she had no real plans to go straight to a university after high school. She wished she were that smart. Her grades proved her not eligible to enroll at a four-year. Anna didn't have the best grades either; she ended up staying home and taking up a part-time job at the diner as a waitress. Now her younger brother on the end; she knew he had great doors opening in his path. Luke was a genius in math for reasons she can't understand. Of course, Kelly could do basic math but that was about it. Well, she might as well pick up an application from the diner after graduation; that's where her future was headed.

Kelly was so drawn into the vivid and raw description of her erotic thrilling romance that she didn't hear the patient knock on her door. Her heart jumped in her throat surprised as someone opened her door without permission.

Blue orbs met brown as David hesitated positioned behind her door, his hand blanketed over the brass knob. He spotted her on her bed which consisted of sheets the shade of deep purple. Her walls, he noticed, were painted a similar color, pretty and alluring—much like Kelly. David quirked up a small smile, hoping to appear charming.

"I'm, uh, hoping I'm not disturbing you," he said softly, allowing himself further into the unmistakable girly room. Kelly's surprise quickly switched to annoyance; she was clearly in the middle of something before he walked in.

"Well, you are. So, if you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave me alone so I can read in peace," she snarled. David bit back an amused laugh; she sure as hell was different and obviously didn't take any shit from anyone who dared mess with her. He oddly admired that. A girl who didn't throw herself at a guy just because he was attractive. She clearly had common sense and a sharp tongue. Much to her discomfort, David studied her, like a photograph. She adorned normal length chocolate hair that was tied back and a pair of matching narrowed intimidating eyes that could send the Devil packing to Heaven. Her skin was lightly tanned, obviously due to being outside in cheer practice. She was still wearing her cheer workout clothes. David allowed a roguish smirk to spread; the little spoiled brat was nothing but an airhead cheerleader. How cute.

"Look, Kelly," David finally spoke, his eyes possessing her unwanted attention. The stranger shut her door and lazily strolled back and forth, his hands behind his back in military stance. "I realize we got off on the wrong foot back there and I wanted to apologize," he said, each word sounding sincere. As he paced slowly, he drifted his eyes away and landed on a picture frame of her family sitting comfortably on her dresser. Kelly noticed him staring at the picture for a stretched moment of silence before he picked it up without her permission. She knew exactly what that picture was and what memory it represented. It was taken a few weeks before Caleb left for Afghanistan. Kelly slowly put her book down beside her and looked up at the military man.

"That's the last picture I took with Caleb before he... Left..." Kelly breathed out, her voice thick with emotion. David smiled sadly in her direction as he set the picture back down where it belonged and gestured to the end of her bed.

"May I?" he asked politely. Kelly shrugged in response. At least he was being a gentleman. Taking her shrug as acceptance, David made himself comfortable perched on the opposite side of her as she sat up and criss-crossed her legs. "All I want is for you and I, to be on good terms. That's all I ask for. I know that his... death... left a rough impact on you... He made me... promise a few things before he left," he chose each word carefully and precisely. Kelly chose not to say anything. His eyes seemed to be absorbing her. He subtly pushed himself closer to her, bending close as if he was offering a dark secret. His sandalwood cologne wafted her nostrils, reminding her just how close he was getting. "One of those promises... included finding his family and offering kindness... something you should work on," he joked lightly, a soundless laugh graveling deep in his throat. Kelly gave him a blank look, torn if she should chuckle at the harmless joke or tell him to fuck off. She chose neither. When he received no response from the teenager, he continued in a velvet, controlled tone, "another promise... included making sure you're okay and that you'll stay okay... Caleb always said you were too stubborn to let others take care of you."

Kelly felt her heart quicken its rhythm as she stared at the stranger. "Wow... You really did know my brother..."

"What? You like, thought I was lying to you about my identity or something?" he questioned chuckling.

"Well, I don't fucking know," she snapped, accidentally a bit too harsh. "Look, it's great that you got to know my brother and all before he died. He was a great guy. Glad to know he had a solider buddy during his adventure before he bit the fucking dust. Now, if you don't mind, there's the door, so all you have to do is march your way out there and go gloat to someone else about your bittersweet last moments with my brother."

David stared at her long and hard. He thought it was kind of adorable how threatening she was trying to act, like little Red Riding Hood trying to stand up to the Big Bad Wolf. After a moment, he caved, "All right, well, suit yourself." And just like that, he rose from her bed, leaving a deep depression on her mattress due to his heavier body. Kelly watched him leave with satisfaction on her part, she thought he was going to be difficult. As he opened her door, she got herself comfortable on her bed again and opened her book to continue her reading session.

"Nice book, by the way," David threw a smirk over his shoulder. "Never pegged you as a smutty romance kind of girl," he chuckled playfully as her cheeks burned in embarrassment.

"Get out," she chucked one of her throw pillows directly at him. Much to her disappointment, the pillow missed him as he ducked out of the way in one fluid motion as if he was the Terminator.

"Nice try," he said, picking up her pillow from the hallway and tossing it in her face, which she angrily swatted away. Amused, he winked charmingly at her before closing the door behind him, leaving the brooding teenager alone in silence.


	3. Chapter 3

After the embarrassing and weird encounter with David inviting himself into her room without permission, Kelly focused herself to do homework for the night. Geometry wasn't her greatest strength. As much as she tried to pay attention in class, tried to get tutoring from her teacher or a random nerd, she couldn't get the formula to stick in her brain. In the middle of trying to solve a difficult equation (honestly fuck geometry, algebra, any math-related subject) she heard the distant sound of her dad coming home. Finally, she thought relieved, ditching her homework carelessly and heading out to meet her dad at the door and convince him to make David leave for good.

"Hey, peanut, how was school?" Spencer greeted wearily as he set his gear down.

"Dad, I need to talk to you—"

"Honey, I need to talk to you."

Mother and daughter said at the same time, each on the other side of Spencer.

He looked at his wife and daughter and stifled a laugh. "Okay, let's start this over. Peanut, how was school?" Laura tried to speak to her husband but he only waved her off. "Hon, it's Kelly's turn, you'll get your turn next."

Laura gave her husband a look.

"Dad, mom invited a total and complete stranger to stay in our house for the night," Kelly whispered, pointing at her mom with a look of accusation.

"What?" Spencer looked to his wife for further information about this out-of-nowhere plan to have a guest in the house.

Laura pushed her husband in the direction of the hallway with Kelly following in pursuit, trying to keep out of David's earshot, who was currently sitting at the table with the youngest Peterson son. Laura explained about David showing up on the doorstep earlier that morning and how he knew Caleb.

"Even though he says he's friends with Caleb," Spencer argued, growing frustrated with the entire situation.

"He's on the photograph with Caleb's squad," Laura pointed out.

"You know what, what if he has the PTSD or whatever it's called. Some of these guys come back with mental health problems," Spencer retaliated. Kelly silently agreed with her dad.

"Did you take that into account, mom?" Kelly added. Laura shot her a look that clearly meant to shut her mouth.

"What if Caleb had come back different," Laura hissed, making Kelly bite her tongue in anger, nearly drawing blood. "Did you take that into account?" she concluded, glaring at her husband and daughter.

"Well... that is..." Spencer actually caved in. Kelly stared at him in shock. What the fuck—he was going to let the smirking bastard stay? Kelly's stomach twisted into painful knots.

"Dad—what," Kelly breathed before Spencer held up a hand, making her halt in her words.

"I'm done with this conversation," Spencer said tiredly, leaving the hallway towards the kitchen. Laura trailed after him but Kelly stayed planted in her spot, confused and disgusted of dad taking mom's side over hers—what the fuck was that about? Her dad always took her side no matter what. How could he not understand that she wasn't comfortable with David taking up residence here? For all she knew, David cut slice her throat open while she's sleeping—okay maybe a bit far fetched, but she was paranoid. She had every right to be cautious.

Fire blazing in her eyes, Kelly stomped over to the kitchen, her shoulder hitting her younger brother's as she snapped, "Watch it, asswipe."

Luke glared at her, "Up yours, cheerleader."

She was too pissed off to respond back to his lashing of words as she ripped the chair back from the table and sat her ass down directly across from the new guest.

"So, David, tell me more about my brother," she practically growled—determined to find out if this guy was a fraud.

David chuckled in amusement of her sassy tone. His mesmerizing ice eyes possessed hers as he responded, almost playfully, "What do you wanna know?"

"How did you two meet?" Kelly wasn't going to fall for his captivating eyes or voice. She firmly stared at him with suspicion evident across her face.

"Boot-camp," he explained smoothly and effortlessly. "I guess you could say we were training buddies."

"Mhm, okay," Kelly nodded. "What's his favorite color?"

"Kelly, I hardly think that's—" Laura tried to defend David.

"Green," David answered without missing a beat, making Laura and Kelly look at him in mild surprise. "Not like grass green, but like camouflage green."

Kelly stared at him before saying unconvinced, "That was just a lucky guess."

"Of course not, why is it so hard to believe that I knew Caleb? We were so close we could be... brothers," David said softly with one of his infamous smirks. Kelly could've sworn he was mocking her in some secret way, not that her oblivious mom would ever notice, but she did. She didn't like or trust him one bit. The two of them stared heatedly until Laura broke the tense silence.

"Dinner's ready."

"Wonderful, I'm... starved," David threw another smirk in Kelly's direction. Kelly wanted to smack the fucking smug smirk off his face.

Dinner was surprisingly not bad, considering her parents and David did most of the talking while Kelly and Luke ate in silence. But those little brief moments when David would glance at the Peterson daughter with a playful smile, she would glare him down. She couldn't believe her parents were fooled so easily by this prick—although she could understand he was quite convincing in his stories of Caleb at times, but she knew there was something... off... about the seemingly perfect guy. She had a hint of a feeling that he was hiding something. She didn't know what yet, but she intended to find out.

After dinner was over, David offered to wash the dishes, which Laura, of course, turned him down and told him to relax. Of course he would ask to wash the fucking dishes—Kelly thought with a roll of her eyes. He was trying too hard to be polite. Obviously to make him seem more likable and down to earth to her parents. Whatever, she wasn't buying his facade.

Kelly decided to help her mom clean the kitchen while Spencer relaxed with a newspaper and David sat with Luke to finish his homework.

"So, what do you think of him so far?" asked Laura, hoping her daughter's opinion of the guest changed.

"Seriously? I think he's a goddamned liar trying to play you all," Kelly whispered, speaking truthfully about what's in her mind. Laura looked at her daughter with disapproval.

"Kelly, I don't think you're giving David a chance."

"I gave the motherfucker a chance. I asked him about Caleb."

Laura snorted. "Yeah, you asked what Caleb's favorite color was—which need I remind you David got correct."

"That was just a lucky guess."

"Right. What's your next question—favorite movie, perhaps?"

"Which I know strongly that he'll get it wrong which will further prove my point that he's not completely being honest with us."

"Kelly, for goodness sakes. I'm pretty sure the last thing David and Caleb would be talking about is movies."

"Caleb loved movies," Kelly sighed sadly as she washed the dishes. "That's all we used to do is watch movies—considering there's nothing else to do in this fucking town."

"Kelly, enough with the foul language. Caleb used to cuss like that and I didn't like it," Laura whispered.

Kelly looked at her mom with a sad smirk. "Guess his cursing habits rubbed off on me."

Once the kitchen was successfully cleaned, Kelly was about to head to her room before her dad stopped her.

"Peanut, you never told me how school was today."

"Fine, dad," she answered shortly, wanting to leave the living room, feeling uncomfortable under David's lingering eyes that she could feel on her back.

"Oh, cmon, peanut. You need to spend some time with your old man—I never see you come out of that damn room anymore."

Gee, I wonder why, Kelly thought sarcastically.

With a reluctant sigh, Kelly caved into to her father's wishes. She took the spot at the end of the couch, her dad in his favorite recliner right next to her. He was faithfully reading his newspaper like he did everyday while Luke and David were on the floor doing homework—which reminded her that she had to finish hers sometime tonight.

Spencer and Kelly had small talk, discussing briefly about school and other unimportant things. She tried her best to focus on her dad instead of the stranger's creepy gaze.

Later, Anna came home with her diner uniform bunched up in her hands.

"Oh good, you're home—how was work?" Spencer asked his oldest daughter.

"Boring, slow," she answered, taking up a seat on the arm of the couch.

"Good, good. I'm gonna get a beer, you sure you don't want one, David?" Spencer offered, pushing himself off the seat with a grunt.

"You know what, that would be great. Thank you," David smiled warmly.

"Oh, great," Spencer said before leaving the living room.

"I'll have one too," Anna spoke up.

"Not under my roof, you're not."

"I'll be twenty-one in a month."

"Great, you can buy all the beer you want till then."

Anna rolled her eyes at her dad before saying to David, "You're helping him with homework?"

David looked at her wryly. "Not exactly."

"Right," Anna got up, not bothering to greet her younger sister as she headed towards her room.

"Hey, Anna—why don't you stay out and socialize with the family?" Spencer tried.

"Kinda tired," Anna refused. "Think I'm gonna take a nap." Her door closed.

Kelly stood up from the couch and decided to go to the bathroom.

"Oh, you're gonna ditch family night too?" asked Spencer slightly disappointed making Kelly laugh.

"Chill, dad. Just going to the bathroom," Kelly made a playful face at her dad, making him laugh. When she was younger, they always used to make the ugliest faces they could towards each other. It was safe to say she easily got along with her dad better than her mom.

She entered the bathroom and turned on the light, shutting the door behind her. Kelly glanced at her reflection and cursed softly. She was growing a pimple on the side of her nose, which would make it harder to pop. "You gotta be fucking kidding me," she glared at the disgusting blemish. "Who the fuck said you could take up residence on my nose, you little ugly shit?" Of course it was much harder to get the blemish, her nose was angled in a weird way, making it difficult to push her two fingers in the spot she wanted. When she couldn't get it, she sighed in defeat. She dabbed a smudge of toothpaste on her finger—an old remedy she learned as a child—and spread it across her pimple, feeling the soothing effects of the minty toothpaste. As she reached for some toilet paper to wipe her finger clean, she glanced at the tub and let out a horrifying shriek.

—

If you want more, you know what to do ;)


	4. Chapter 4

Previously on Love Is Like War

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As she reached for some toilet paper to wipe her finger clean, she glanced at the tub and let out a horrifying shriek.

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She stared in a combination of horror and disgust as her eyes discovered the biggest, nastiest thing she's ever witnessed in her bathtub. A giant black spider sat smack right in the middle of the tub, all eight hairy long legs displayed.

The bathroom door swung open, revealing David on the other side, appearing concerned. "Are you okay?" he asked as he stepped into the small bathroom, wondering what in the world she screamed about.

Without a word, Kelly recoiled backwards, shoving past David to get the hell out of the room. Fuck that.

"What?" he demanded as he stepped forward to see what she ran from. His ice eyes immediately spotted the spider, making them roll. "And here I was thinking a rat snuck out from inside the walls. It's just a spider," he said as if it was the most silly thing.

"You all right, peanut? Why'd you scream?" Spencer called out from the living room.

"Just a spider situation, sir. I'll handle it from here," David yelled back while Kelly was busy trying not to suffer from a panic attack. She swore she was born with arachnophobia. So deadly terrified of spiders she can't even will up the courage to kill one. As Kelly tried a breathing exercise to keep her calm, her eyes bulged as she watched David lean down and scoop his hands in the tub. No fucking way.

"So, you don't like spiders?" asked David in an innocent voice even though he clearly knew from proof of her terrified scream.

"Don't even fucking think about it," Kelly backed up further down the hallway to avoid an approaching David, his hands cupped tightly together.

"What? It's just a little tiny spider, not harmful. Look, the spider just wants to say hi," a wicked smirk spread across David's face as he playfully advanced on Kelly whose face was stricken with disgust and fear.

"Get that thing away from me—I hate spiders!"

"Spiders are far more terrified of us than we are of them, Kelly."

"I don't care—doesn't change my mind about them!" Kelly screeched as she ran to her room and went to slam her door shut for safety but a big combat boot stopped it from shutting. "No! Stop! What are you doing? Please—David, stop!" she pleaded desperately, being cornered in her own room. He grinned like the devil himself at her reaction.

"Cmon, give Charlotte a little love," he sing-songed, holding his clasped hands closer to her face. Kelly felt like she could almost cry, nobody has ever been evil enough to do this kind of torture to her. "She's very friendly," he taunted teasingly, immensely enjoying this too much.

"David—don't you dare!"

"Catch!" He suddenly thrust his hands out and opened them.

Kelly released a scream so shrill and loud—it was a good thing they had no close by neighbors, they'd think she was being murdered. She yanked back and violently clawed at her clothing, trying frantically to get the disgusting specimen off her. She was so engrossed in finding the spider, she didn't see David and her brother who had just come to see what happened, they were both laughing up a storm as if this was the funniest thing.

"Where is it—where the fuck is it?" she squealed, jumping up and down, completely ignoring David and Luke, both of them bent over in laughter. "Oh my God—where is it?" she freaked out. She was not about to sleep in her room if that damn spider escaped.

"Kelly," David controlled himself. "Look in the bathtub."

The moment he said this, Kelly straightened up, looked at him angrily and stomped over to the hallway bathroom, shoving past Luke in the process. She could almost cry in relief. The oblivious spider was still there in the same spot where she'd seen it. David only pretended to pick it up and chase her around with it. Now she felt incredibly pissed off and tired and annoyed; he made her look like a fool. She heard David come up behind her.

"Look, I'm sorry, I had to. It was a priceless opportunity that I couldn't skip," he said, trying his best not to laugh again.

"What the fuck—are you kidding me? I'm terrified of those little fuckers. You know what, how fucking dare you! I told you to stop and you wouldn't. I almost had a heart attack!"

"Okay, okay," he held up his hands in defense, his face completely serious. "You're right. I obviously took it too far. Okay? I'm sorry, I was just having a little fun."

"Well, I'm glad you got your fun, douchebag."

She glared at him before moving past him. Angrily, she stomped back to her room, making sure to slam the door extra hard. She seriously wanted to cry. She hated spiders with a passion. They're just so creepy and gross and scary and ugh. No. Just no.

Someone knocked on her door gently.

"No—go away!" Kelly buried her face in her soft furry purple throw pillow, surrounding herself with the scent of coconuts from the shampoo and conditioner she used on a daily basis. She breathed in the heavenly aroma, an exercise to calm her down from the spider situation.

Apparently, the person behind her door didn't get the memo as they let themselves in.

"I said—go away!" The moody teenager repeated annoyed before she peeked an eye out from her pillow. It was her mom—okay, good, no David. Thank God for that.

"Hon, you okay?" Laura asked concerned, closing the door so the two of them could have some privacy.

Kelly sighed. "No." She pushed herself into a seating position, criss-crossing her legs like she used to in elementary school.

Laura took a seat next to her. "Sweetheart, I understand you're not getting along well with David—"

"Damn straight, I'm not."

"But," Laura continued in a reconcile manner. "I'm afraid that you haven't exactly... given David a chance... He's a really lovely man once you actually get to sit down and talk with him."

"Mom, I told you once and I'll tell you again—I don't feel... comfortable... with David being here. I don't know how to explain it, mom..."

"He hasn't... done... anything to you—has he?" her mom asked worriedly.

"No, mom."

Her mom's shoulders visibly sagged with relief. "God, Kelly. You scared me—for a moment, I thought that..."

"No... I just mean that... oh I don't know... David is just kinda... intimidating, I guess—he hasn't touched me or anything like that."

"Kelly, if he ever does anything inappropriate to you or Anna ever—I'll kick his... butt right out of my house."

Kelly laughed. "Okay, mom. That sounds like a deal."

"Great, hon. If David's presence around here is too much, I'll make sure he leaves."

"Thanks, mom."

"You betcha, hon."

Kelly stayed in her room for the rest of the night. She didn't feel like socializing with the rest of the family or David—she preferred D-bag. She finished the rest of her homework around the time 11:30 rolled around. Usually everyone was in bed by then which would grant her advantage to go out in the living room and catch up with her latest TV shows.

Tip-toeing out of her room, Kelly ghosted through the dark house, making sure to keep quiet so nobody would wake up. If her dad found her out here this late on a school night, he would be pissed off. Kelly left all the lights off and the TV turned down very low. She decided to settle on an episode of Vampire Diaries. Her brain tuned into the new episode where Damon and Bonnie meet Kai, one of the hot new villains of the show. Although she personally preferred the deliciously British hybrid Klaus. Kelly was so into the show, she didn't hear one of the bedrooms doors open or someone slithering through the pitch black hallway.

David was in the deceased brother's room where his ears picked up on a distant sound—someone must've left the TV on. Because of his insomnia, David was wide awake and alert. He decided to investigate on the matter, he knew Spencer turned the TV off before everyone went to bed. Not making a sound, David ventured out into the dark strip of hall, spotting the glow of the TV. He rounded the corner—the TV was indeed on. Much to his disgust, an obviously teen show was playing. Just as he suspected, it was Kelly who was watching TV late at night.

"Isn't it past your bedtime?" asked David in a loud whisper, making his presence known to Kelly who quietly yelped in surprise.

"Jesus!" she exclaimed.

"Nope, just David," he replied cheekily, sporting a mischievous grin.

"What the fuck—you scared me!" she glared murderously.

"This is, like, what, the third time that I've scared you," David boasted, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, the images of their first encounter, the spider, and now this. Yup, he had a tally of scaring her three times. He should get a prize for this.

"Don't remind me," she muttered, avoiding his lingering gaze and focusing on her show. Of course the moment David decided to show up, the show immediately goes to a hot, steamy sex scene. Kelly's cheeks burned in embarrassment and David glanced at her.

"Aren't you like... too young to be watching this?" David teased, appearing amused by the entire situation.

"Very funny, comrade," she mocked, earning a smile from the guest.

"What is this?" asked David, taking a seat next to Kelly much to her annoyance.

"Vampire Diaries," she answered almost proudly.

"Of course. What is it with this twilight vampire crap that girls love so much? I don't get it."

"Okay, first of all, I hate Twilight. One of the main problems with those books and movies is that the protagonist—ya know, Bella Swan—is one of the most dependent, selfish, obsessive, and weak characters ever written. Now with Vampire Diaries... that show is different, you wanna know why? Because it has a better storyline, better characters, better chemistry, and overall better everything. Not to mention the entire male cast is just drop-dead gorgeous. Take that as your lesson for the day, David," Kelly finished all in one breath.

David stared at her silently, entertained by her argument of Twilight vs. Vampire Diaries. After a moment of absorbing all this information in, David started to chuckle amused.

"I thought you were a cheerleader, not an obsessed bookworm and TV fanatic."

"What—just because I'm a cheerleader, I'm stereotyped as this bubblegum pop airhead who can't appreciate good literature and TV? Who says I can't like all three things? That's the beauty of being real... and not a one-dimensional cardboard cut-out like Bella Swan."

"Okay, you got me," David said. "You can be a cheerleader and still like vampire nerd stuff, I get it."

"It's not vampire nerd stuff," Kelly argued.

"Sounds like it to me," David smirked.

"Whatever," she muttered, knowing she was never going to win with him.

The conversation was over and the two sat in silence, watching Vampire Diaries. After the episode was over, Kelly announced that she was going to bed. David nodded and watched as she got up off the couch and left the dark room, leaving him sitting staring at the TV. As Kelly got back safely into her room, she made sure to lock the door this time. She was more confident this time that David wouldn't do anything but she just wanted to be sure. Just in case. She wasn't quite sure where that conversation came from or why she was even bothering with David in the first place. It was the weirdest thing. Just because she and David bonded over vampire shit, doesn't mean that they're friends all of a sudden. No, Kelly to a certain extent still didn't trust him. She could still feel something... off... about the guy.

It was around 12:30 late at night, so Kelly decided it was best to hit the hay. Kelly made herself comfortable in bed and fell asleep shortly, dreaming of spiders capturing her and Klaus Mikaelson saving her. Hell yeah.

—

Thank you so much to AmerosaIV, SecretWonderland96, Z0mbiKitty, and Elsie girl for keeping up with this story and making my day with your lovely reviews! Xoxo


	5. Chapter 5

Kelly could've swung a mallet over her mom's head; Laura allowed David to drive Luke and Kelly to school after he willingly volunteered. Obviously to make himself more likeable to her mom. Spencer already left for work and Anna didn't start her shift until the afternoon so she was busy sleeping. Luke, Kelly, and David circled each other at the breakfast table in intense silence while Laura was busy doing some laundry in the back. Luke was eating a bowl of cereal and Kelly was absentmindedly stirring around a spoon of plain oatmeal. David made himself comfortable in his seat, taking a swig of beer. Even though it was fucking 7:00 in the morning, Kelly noted staring strangely at him. As Kelly made a move to reach across the table aiming for the sugar, David swiftly snatched the sugar bottle out of reach with an arrogant smirk plastered on his equally arrogant face.

"David, c'mon—I'm too tired for this." Kelly said tiredly stretching her hand further to retrieve the dangling sugar shaker from his palm.

"If you want it, reach for it," David jested lightly as he held it out of her reach, purposely moving it around as her hand got closer.

"What the fuck—David, I can't eat plain oatmeal without sugar. That's disgusting."

"That's how you're supposed to eat oatmeal."

"Fuck off."

"How old are you again? Does your mother know you curse like a sailor?"

"What—you gonna snitch on me or something?"

Luke watched the two engage in their morning banter, biting back a growing smile that was threatening to spread across. They were acting like an old married couple. He bowed his head down and focused on his cereal.

After the two of them were done arguing, David allowed Kelly to snatch the sugar from him. She practically dumped the entire contents into her mushy oatmeal while David watched in disgust. Due to him being a soldier, David was used to feeding himself MREs on the combat field since field kitchens couldn't be set up. He watched curiously as Kelly stirred around her ruined bowl of oatmeal.

Once the brother and sister finished breakfast, they were off to school. Kelly was in the passenger and Luke was in the back while David occupied the driver's seat. As always, Kelly hooked up her MP3 through the car stereo and selected one of her favorite playlists to start for another dreadful day of senior year. Lana Del Rey's Radio ghosted through the speakers, relaxing Kelly's tension from the soldier occupying the spot next to her. She avoided his occasional glances by staring out the window, her brown eyes catching nothing but dry land.

"No one even knows how hard life was... I don't even think about it now because... I finally found you... Oh, sing to me..."

Kelly mouthed along to the exotic song lyrics of her favorite artist, the beautiful melody sweeping over her like a daydream.

"Now my life is sweet like cinnamon... Like a fucking dream I'm livin' in... Baby love me cause I'm playing on the radio... How do you like me now?" Kelly quietly sang along.

"This is nice," David spoke up. It took Kelly a long moment to realize what he said.

"What?" she asked.

"This is a nice song. Not annoying," he repeated with a soft smirk, glancing at her with his powerful blue gaze.

"Oh," she said awkwardly, recoiling from his intense stare. "Yeah, it is."

"I like this song, too," Luke decided to join the conversation from the back.

"Everybody loves this song. Lana Del Rey is queen," Kelly said proudly, smiling brightly for the first time in days.

"Um, correction: Ariana Grande is queen," Luke argued.

"Oh, please," Kelly rolled her eyes at this ridiculous response. "Ariana's music has no soul to it. You just think she's hot."

"Well... that's not—entirely true," Luke stumbled on his words clumsily, trying to get back at his older sister.

"Your argument is invalid. Lana is Queen. Ariana is a little pop princess wannabe. End of discussion," Kelly said.

"Point taken," David said amused. "Sorry Luke, but I think I'm gonna have to agree with your sister."

"Ariana's better," Luke mumbled to himself.

Shortly, the trio arrived in front of the school. David got in line with the rest of the cars dropping their kids off. Once it was their turn, Luke and Kelly made way to exit the vehicle.

"And what time am I picking you up?" David inquired, sounding much like a parent.

Luke answered, "We get out at three but—"

"I have cheer practice after school so pick me up an hour later," Kelly finished as she unbuckled her seatbelt and hoisted her school bag and cheer duffel out of the car. Luke and her began to descend into the school.

"Have a great day, kids," David called out loudly and cheerily, earning an awkward smile from Luke and a middle finger from Kelly. He drove away with a million dollar smile on his face.

"Ooh, who was that?" Britney asked with interest as Kelly approached.

"Forget about it," Kelly waved it off, avoiding the David subject. "Did you finish math homework last night?"

School dragged on like a blur for Kelly. In each of her classes, she zoned out most of the time, doodling sloppily in her notebook. Her mind consisted of hunger, boredom, Vampire Diaries, and unfortunately—David. As hard as she tried to block him from her flowing mind, he kept resurfacing, attracting unwanted attention. The man was just so... frustrating to deal with. He has scared her a number of times... teased her endlessly... she's only known him for one day and yet why was it that she felt already exhausted from him?

Who was he exactly... where did he come from? He was just some mysterious stranger to her... randomly showing up on their doorstep... well then again, he came to pay his respects due to her older brother's death... She couldn't believe the fact that her mom allowed David to stay a night. For all she knew, he could've easily raided their home while everyone was asleep and be gone before the sun rises. Although that scenario seems unlikely now, she hated to admit. If David really was up to no good, he would've taken what he wanted already and be done... but instead... helping out with dinner, offering to drive them to school... honestly Kelly had no clue what his motive was. Maybe... Who knows... Maybe he really is a good guy, wanting to pay respect for his deceased buddies family. Still though... Kelly remained suspicious.

The last bell for the school finally rang, Kelly and her squad was off to the fields for cheer practice. The beginning of practice, all the girls were ordered to stretch.

"So... that guy that dropped you off..." Casey asked with a sly grin on her face. "Are you sure you're not telling us something because to me... Looks like you're boning the guy..."

"Yeah, right," Kelly scoffed at the ridiculous idea. David had to be at least... ten years older than her?

"Oh, c'mon, Kells," Britney piped up. "Your mom drops you off everyday. Now all of a sudden this attractive Ryan Gosling lookalike guy is dropping you off... Sounds like you're not telling us something girl..."

"David was in the same army unit with my brother," Kelly explained nonchalantly. "My mom let him stay and help out."

"I can see why she let him stay... The man is ridiculously hot it should be illegal... I mean, like—all the guys here are dog shit compared to this David you speak of," Casey said charismatically.

"Oh, whatever. The guys here aren't THAT bad. David just... happens to be better-looking than the average guy... doesn't make up for his strange personality..." Kelly trailed off with a blank look. Casey and Britney glanced at each other before one of them snapped their fingers, reeling Kelly back into the present. "Sorry..." she apologized before swiftly changing the subject.

Finishing up with warm up stretches, the cheer squad performed their required routine. Unlike the previous day, Kelly was able to focus much more today. Although cheer wasn't her favorite activity, she preferred playing soccer or softball. But her friends always convinced her to try out for the team, so she decided why not.

When Kelly was being lifted by the circle of girls to form a pyramid, she caught sight of David and Luke approaching in the distance, making her lose her balance. Kelly squealed as she tumbled down into the pack of girls, her back landing on soft grass. She groaned rubbing the back of her head.

"Hey, you okay?" One of the girls asked her.

"I'm fine, thanks," Kelly assured as she pushed herself up, wiping the grass particles off her skin.

"Kelly, may I have a moment with you?" Coach asked with her hands poised behind her back, her withered face appearing stern.

Heaving back a sigh, Kelly forced herself to approach her Coach.

"Kelly, I understand that you've... lost one of your brothers... and that's a terrible thing... but... due to your excessive absences and lack of focus... there are plenty of other girls who desire your position..."

"Wait—" Kelly knew where this was going. She shook her head frantically. "I'm sorry. Please, Coach—give me another chance to make it up. I won't lose focus again, please... I need this..."

"No, you don't... what you need... is to take some time off... until you're ready to come back... I also notice your grades have been slipping..."

Kelly lowered her head down guiltily.

Coach sighed, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Kelly—I'm removing you from the squad."

"I understand, Coach..."

With that, Kelly slowly retrieved her bags and ignored the concerned looks of her squad.

"Hey, where you goin'?" Britney asked, jogging over to join her.

"I got pulled off the team," Kelly said bitterly.

"What—wait why?"

"I'll call you later tonight about it, okay? Make us look good out there!" Kelly said before departing across the field towards David and Luke. As she approached closer, she noticed her brother had a dried bloody nose.

"Oh, what happened to you?" she asked.

Luke shrugged. "I don't know, just got into a fight with some kids..."

"You're growing a pair, Luke. I'm proud of ya..." Kelly forced a smile.

"I thought practice didn't end till ten minutes..." David thought as he looked down at her, noticing she was wearing those nice short shorts and tight tank top.

"Well... I, uh... Coach kicked me off the squad..." Kelly explained in a glum voice as the trio started walking across the field towards the parking lot.

"What?" Luke asked.

"Oh, is that so?" David added, not appearing too happy to hear about this.

Kelly shrugged. "Yeah... But it's whatever... Their loss... Well, I'm starved. Let's go home..."

—

Just so you know, I really do love Ariana Grande, though I personally prefer Lana ;) That concludes the fifth chapter! Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!

Review Responses

Z0mbiKitty: HAHAHAHA your review made my day XD Lol I think I'm with Kelly on this one, I'm terrified of spiders just as much as she is. In fact, the spider scene is based on my dad pulling that shit on me. Ugh, still hate him for that btw lol :P yeah I'm glad you got that, I've been a fan of VD since it came out, still watch that show religiously. Although I do admit, a few of the last seasons have been slow, but I think season 6 really redeemed itself and I honestly can say I can't wait for season 7 this fall :) HAHA! I certainly would leave my door unlocked ;) We will definitely see more David tormenting Kelly ;D Thanks so much for sticking around and good luck for your wonderful story XOXOXO

AmerosaIV: Wow haha thank you so much, I'm really flattered that you like my writing style :) Honestly though, I'm always changing up my writing style in each of my stories, y'know just to experiment and see what flows better than the other; although I'm really digging this particular style for this story. Maybe I might stick with it for future stories :) In all seriousness though, thanks I really do appreciate your awesome words! I too can't wait to see what creepiness David has in store ;) Thank you XOXOXO


	6. Chapter 6

Love is like War

A/N: I'm a douchebag for making people wait so long for the next update, sorry :( without further ado, I present the long and awaited chapter 6 :) Thank you for your patience!

– Nina

Chapter Six

"Hey there, how was school—Oh my God, Luke, what happened?" Laura freaked out as soon as she saw her kids and David walking into the house. There was a bloody tissue shoved up Luke's nose.

"Just got into a fight with some kids at school—it's no big deal," Luke said quickly, trying to avoid his mom's overly concerned gaze.

"Why were they—"

"I don't know, mom. I'm gonna go lie down," Luke excused himself, escaping to the safety of his room.

"Is he okay?" Laura asked, glancing between her daughter and the man who volunteered to pick them up from school.

"He's fine, just got a little roughed up," David answered smoothly. Kelly looked at him. He had a mischievous gleam in his ice eyes. "I promised to teach him some self defense when he feels up to it," he said.

Kelly swallowed dryly, thinking about how it was supposed to be Caleb the one to teach her younger brother self defense. No matter how much she wanted to lash out, she held back, forcing back the thick alligator tears that were threatening to spill. Excusing herself as politely as she could, she dumped her bags on the floor and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water for her dry throat. She relished the cool liquid that soothed the ache.

Her mom joined her in the kitchen, arms crossed. "So, I got a call from your Coach... you were removed off the squad?"

"I don't want to talk about it, mom..."

"No, it's the perfect time to talk about it. Why were you excused from the team? Have you been ditching practice or something... drugs, boys, what is it, hon?"

"Mom... Stop, please," Kelly said quietly, her chocolate eyes casting downwards.

"No, I will not stop until I have a reasonable answer as to why you're not able to participate in your cheer team..." Laura waited expectantly for her daughter.

"You really don't know why..." she muttered, narrowing her brown eyes at her mom in disbelief.

Laura instantly knew. Her stern face faltered. "Oh, hon... I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to upset you like that... I just... I was hoping cheer would... distract you from... you know what."

Kelly smiled sadly. "I know, mom. I'm fine, I just need to go lie down or something, starting to get a headache."

Laura called out to a retreating Kelly. "You want some ibuprofen?"

"No, thanks, mom."

Kelly despised being treated like a baby who couldn't take care of herself. She was perfectly capable of looking out for herself and for others as well.

For the rest of the night, Kelly locked herself in her room, away from everyone, especially David. It was the same everyday as Kelly came home from school. As the days rolled by, the week was ending and it was a Friday, the next morning Saturday would be her 18th birthday. And David was still there taking up residence in their home and private lives. Kelly couldn't believe he's been residing with the family for nearly a week. Now, he was going to be there to ruin things on her 18th birthday? Just great.

After school on Friday, this time thankfully her mom picked her and Luke up from school.

"Kelly, once we get back home, I want you to... 'politely'... invite David for your birthday," her mom practically demanded.

Kelly couldn't believe it… her mom was actually forcing her to invite David to get stupid birthday.

"Fine," was all Kelly mumbled as she grudgingly stuck in her earphones and blasted music with the volume loud.

Laura stared at her middle-born child, half-surprised that she acquiesced so quickly. Then she smiled thankful and pulled out the school parking lot.

Once Laura pulled her van into the Peterson residence driveway, Kelly and Luke were out the car faster than a jackrabbit while Laura took her sweet time locking up the car.

As soon as Kelly pushed open the door, she spotted David sitting in the living room casually, a beer resting in his hand. He looked peaceful and it was startling Kelly; he always seemed on-guard… this was probably the second time she's seen him so calm since the night they watched TV when no one else was around.

Dropping her backpack on the floor, Kelly forced herself to approach the soldier. Almost awkwardly, she seated herself on the opposite end of the couch, putting as much space as she could between them two. Surprising her even further, David didn't acknowledge her. He was far too busy watching whatever was on… Ellen. This motherfucker was watching Ellen. Kelly almost snorted; the most intense guy she's ever met and he was chillin' to Ellen. She expected something more manly like… football or Breaking Bad. Alrighty then.

"So…" Kelly started, sounding unsure and awkward. David didn't look at her. "My birthday's tomorrow…" she drawled, straight to the point.

David was still staring at the screen. "Is that so?"

"Um… I guess," she shrugged, still slightly peeved that this asshole wasn't looking her in the eye. Then Kelly shook herself with irritation; since when did she care about whether he was looking at her or not?

When David didn't continue the conversation, Kelly clarified further… "We're just gonna have a small pizza party tomorrow… here. And I'm probably gonna have my friends spend the night here afterwards…"

"Friends…" David finally looked at her, shocking her with the intensity of his blue gaze.

"Britney, Casey, Kevin…" Kelly listed the names of who were supposed to show up for tomorrow.

David didn't blink. "Kevin…" dare she think it, it almost sounded similar to a threat.

"Yeah, Kev…" Kelly said, starting to feel slightly uncomfortable. "He's one of my best friends… great guitarist," she added, as if that would help.

"Hmm…" David hummed deeply in his throat before averting that stone look back to the TV. Kelly stared at him funny for a moment.

"So anyways… I guess what I'm trying to say is… you're more than welcome to hang out here for the party and have cake… if you want," she finished, hoping that he'd say no. She would just prefer to keep it between close friends and family.

David smiled, kind and warm… "That's a generous offer, but I'm afraid I'm overstepping my boundaries." Kelly stared surprised. She clearly wasn't expecting that. "I understand… you probably just want it to be a close friends and family kind of thing. Since I'm none of those things to you, I think it'd be wise for me to give you your space for your birthday," he said, looking at her sincerely.

Kelly was shocked. She honestly expected him to practically jump at the chance to invite himself and ruin her birthday. Hearing him say all that, she underestimated him.

"Wow…" she breathed, cursing herself for sounding so stupid. "Um… are you sure? It's really not a big deal. I mean, I don't care if you decide to stay for the party… I'm sure my friends would love to meet you," she said, the last part true. Her friends had recently been pestering her about the mysterious David.

"Whatever you want me to do… whatever you feel most comfortable with… it's completely up to you, Kells."

He gave her a nickname. And surprisingly, she liked it. Not that she would ever say anything to encourage him. Completely at a loss of what to say to David, Kelly just sat there dumbstruck over the strange and charming soldier.

She didn't know what to expect for tomorrow.

A/N: extreme case of writer's block. Any ideas?


	7. Up for Adoption

_**ATTENTION EVERYONE! I have a super-duper important announcement to make…**_

 _As every one of my readers knows, I've been neglecting each of the stories I've created. Well, if you want to hear an explanation; I've simply lost inspiration for a great majority of the fandoms I've been writing for. Times been moving and my life has been changing in lots of different ways; good and bad._

 _So without further ado, I have compromised a solution for all my old stories: I'm putting all of them up for **adoption.**_

* * *

 **Here are a list of my stories that are available for adoption:**

* * *

 _ **Love is like War** _ — _Following the days after her brother's unfortunate passing, Kelly Peterson fights to keep her head held high and continue life for her family's sake. An unexpected visitor shows up, and Kelly is highly suspicious. {david/oc}_ **(Guest, 2014)**

 _ **Champagne for the Pain** _ — _Jack Mercer: first-class fuck-up, third-class rock-star. Lydia Hathaway: first-class bitch, third-class basket-case. Jack/OC_ **(Four Brothers)**

 _ **This Is The End** _ — _Seth Rogen is my best friend. And of course, being his best friend, I decided to help him accompany Jay to another one of James Franco's stupid house-warming parties. Little did I know that the world was coming to an end and here I am, stuck in a house filled with six morons. Fuck my life. Franco/OC_ **(This is the End)**

 _ **Total Eclipse of the Heart** _ — _After a terrible accident costing the lives of the ones she loved most, Bonnie Bennett reluctantly moves to Oregon as the Parker family welcomes her with open arms. There she meets Kai, the outcast of the family. {all human} {bonkai} {90s}_ **(The Vampire Diaries)**

 _ **The Night Is Still Young** _ — _After being challenged to a scavenger hunt, Taylor and Katie are in for the ride of their lives as they travel across the country to Coachella Valley & Arts Festival along with a couple of "male entertainers" they accidentally meet. Richie/OC Ken/OC_ **(Magic Mike)**

 _ **A Twisted Tale** — Sadie Prescott is no stranger to danger._ _{billy/oc/stu}_ **(Scream)**

 _ **You Found Me** _ — _Colleen Grant was one of the original visitors for Jurassic Park over twenty-years ago. After being invited to Jurassic World with her two sons, Zach and Gray, history unfortunately repeats itself._ **(Jurassic Park)**

 _ **Seven Devils** _ — _Six friends embark on a journey from Mystic Falls, Virginia all the way up to Chicago, Illinois for the biggest game of the season. It's supposed to be a fun vacation in celebration of graduation. But it turns out to be fatally worse than they imagine; the group unknowingly steps into the trap of a ghost town, the main attraction being the House of Wax. (AU, AH)._ **(The Vampire Diaries)**

* * *

 ** _Phew! *wipes off sweat* still with me? Now, here are my stories that are complete but no sequels in progress. Let me explain…_**

* * *

 _ **Only Human** _ — _Rose never imagined that she would meet the striking God of Thunder in the New Mexico desert, let alone become good friends with the banished man; and never did she imagine that her best friend, Jane, would strangely fall in love with the mighty Thor. Set during the events of Thor. Future Loki/OC Thor/Jane *COMPLETE*_

 _ **I've successfully finished this fic but never wrote a sequel… If you were a fan of this fic and have a wonderful idea of where Rose's story could've gone, don't hesitate to send me a PM.**_

* * *

 _ **Here are my Hangover fanfics that I've completed:**_

* * *

 _ **Raise Your Glass** _ — _Four best friends: Paige, Jamie, Connie, and Zoey decide to spend their weekend in Vegas for a kick-ass birthday. When the four girls meet the infamous wolf pack, they will experience the most insane, memorable journey of their lives. Phil/OC Stu/OC Alan/OC *COMPLETE*_

 _ **Wild Ones** _ — _Two years has passed since the unforgettable incident in Vegas. Now, the wolf pack is off to Thailand for Stu and Jamie's wedding. But what happens when they get thrown in a familiar loop similar to Vegas? Join Phil, Paige, Stu, Jamie, Alan, and Connie as they work together to find Zoey's little brother and try to make it back in time for the wedding. *COMPLETE*_

 _ **I've finished the two fics that take place in the course of the first and second movie, but never wrote for the third movie.**_

* * *

 _ **OKIE-DOKIE! All the stories I've listed above are up for adoption like I've said several times. It pains me to do this but I've realized that it's not fair to many of my readers who've waited for me, some patient, some not.**_

 _ **If you're interested in adopting one of my fics, please do PM me and we can discuss further details from then on.**_

 _ **I thank everyone for having the patience to read this awfully long and bittersweet message…**_

 _ **P.S. I'm not permanently finished with fan fiction. I do plan on starting new with fresh stories and ideas.. especially during the summer time.**_


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